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Tension - Tension - Tension


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I understand that people name their machines. I am ready to name our Millie "Frankenstein". I thought it was a Dream Come True. It has been a nightmare. We put on a single bed size sandwich of muslin front and back with Quilters dream poly for the batting. My wife and I practiced loops and swirls and alphabets row after row using various threads. It was such Fun!. Then we took the "quilt" off of the machine and the back was a mess. most of it was fine but some places had "eyelashes" and some areas had eyelashes that were long enough to be a beard. We came to the site and read some about TENSION and read all about adjustments in the manual. Next, since we had a quilt top ready to do for our daughter-in-law's birthday we put it on the Millie. Yesterday we spent NINE HOURS trying to get the thing to work! It will do just fine for a while, then EYELASHES. I clean the bobbin and the bobbin area, I adjust the bobbon tension, I adjust the top tension, We printout all of the discussions and soultions posted in the chat area, read and re-read them. More adjustments The same results. Then the top thread starts breaking. I go through the same routines again. I try three different types of thread. I re-thread the machine. I tighten the sandwich, I loosen the sandwich. I stomp around, I say bad things, I go outside and walk around. I come back and losen the bobbin tension, It begins to sew nicely. I finish the pass. I look underneath and look at all of the eyelashes. I take the quilt off of the monster machine. I can finish it on one of our tabletop machines ever so much easier. I began to learn to sew on a machine in the mid 1940s, taught by Aunt Hazel. I am not a stranger to adjusting tensions. We have a SINGER which we purchased in 1961 (still works), two VIKINGS which we purchased in the early 80s, an Ellageo nad a new Ellegante. I can quilt on any one of them and not have this kind of a problem (not to mention the stress). It is hard to understand that in this world of advanced technology that this machine couldn't be made to work with less hassle. It makes me sick at my stomach to think how much we went in hock to buy this thing. I know from reading the postings that I am not the only one having these problems. I hope that I will be one of the ones that gets them worked out. For now I don't even want to look at "FRANKIE".

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Hello Jim

Please don't hesitate to call and speak to the techs at APQS, they are there to help and they do! I am also glad to help and will anytime I can as well ......and there is a big long list of others on the dealer page that are here for you 24/7.

What thread are you using? Are you attempting to use spools of thread or cones?

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I am using Superior Poly Quilter #333 on the top and a cotton covered poly in the bobbin. I also tried Superior poly machine quilting thread #50/3 407 (both of these came with the machine) and a 100% cotton all with the same results. I tried switching to the poly prewounds that came with the machine, sme results.

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Hi Jim,

Please click on this link & print it out. :)

http://www.superiorthreads.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=280&Itemid=100

You will want to put on some practice fabric until you get the thread balanced out on top & bobbin.

Let's plan on a date to get your APQS class , I know you will find it very helpful.

I will check in with you tomorrow, we will get you on track & quilting up those grand kids quilts in no time!!! ;)

Linda

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i think that the tension issue has something to do with the sun, stars and moon being out of alignment because before i left for Houston I had absolutely no trouble with my tension, I get back, load a customers quilt and BAM tension issues beyond anythng i have had to deal with before now.

After a lot of seam ripping and even more soul searching and some working on the bobbin tension i am doing better.

We will know more tomorrow, because I had to WALK AWAY!

Why am i telling you this? because everyone needs to know that this happens. Don't lose heart. Everything is "fixable".

Keep on quilting!

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Please don't despair! Because if you give up then there is no hope for the rest of us.... We have all been there and some of us are still there!!!! I have myself NEVER had consistent tension AT ALL!!! I will put on a quilt and not have a problem and then I will put on the next one and It is a PROBLEM! I know that I need to spend more time with my machine to get my problems solved so that is what keeps me going... ( I work three days a week and have two children 9 and 13) So I don't spend all the time on it that I should. It is the only thing that keeps me coming back thinking that one of these days I will figure it out. :P Unfortunately I am going through one of my not so good tension weeks and in the last week alone I have had people drop off two twins and four lap quilts to quilt. Ask me how I will get through it? Pure determination not to let this machine get the best of me!!! I will tame the beast!! LOL

Seriously though I do think that someone somewhere does need to come up with some tension paperwork that makes sense to the people that are learning though. I have read some tension discussions that I have no idea what they were trying to get across. Maybe there needs to be a newbie version!!!

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Jim I feel your pain , :oI am so tried of tension . Quilters Dream batting is the batting that was the worst for my Milli 'Sweet Dreams ' . I still can't get the tension right on that one . I am with Jim I can adjust my tension just fine on Viking just fine

Even after Linda's A beginner class , I spend hours on my machine .

Today is another tension headace day , all is while for awhile then bang bad tension . How can it sew fine then not ?

Sherry would love to know who is willing to take calls 24/7 ? I live on the west coast .

How do you girls who put your quilts in a judge show

work the tension ?

Today is another one of those that I think I should have bought a car or new furniture :o

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Jim,

Here are a few more solutions to try with your thread issue:

1. With a cotton-covered poly thread in the bobbin, you'll have a lot of lint build-up underneath the bobbin tension finger as that "cotton cover" sloughs off when the thread passes under the finger. These bits and pieces of cotton fiber hold the tension finger up, resulting in the inconsistent stitch quality your photo shows.

Use a thin, fine pin and slide it under the tension finger on the bobbin case, parallel to the bobbin case body. Slide the pin toward the tip of the finger where the thread exits the bobbin case to remove any lint. Do this frequently with the thread you have chosen. My money is on this being the problem.

If you have tried to over-tighten the top thread to compensate for the eyelashes on the back, and the bobbin tension finger is not functioning correctly due to lint, it would explain why the top thread is now breaking as well.

2. Switch to a pre-wound bobbin made of 100% polyester, or wind your own with a fine bobbin thread such as Bottom Line from Superior. Poly Quilter is a very thick thread, and will often work better with a fine-weight bobbin thread.

3. Check between the tension disks on the tension knob. Gently pull them apart and blow compressed air between the two disks to dislodge any hidden lint.

4. Wedge a small piece of batting into the first thread guide, directly above the spool on the back of the machine, so that it applies a slight amount of pressure to the thread and keeps the thread from bouncing (and creating inconsisten tension) and puddling after it leaves the spool. This will slightly increase the tension on the thread, so you may need to loosen the tension control knob slightly to compensate.

5. Rethread the machine completely. Sometimes those thicker threads can work their way out of the tension disks, yet still look like they are between them at first glance. Be sure to pull the thread firmly between the disks.

6. Switch to a different bobbin case. If the tension finger on the bobbin case happens to be bent, it won't work properly and will give you inconsistent results.

7. Make sure the bobbin itself is wound correctly, and that the thread feels firm when you push on it around the bobbin. If if feels spongy, it will not feed correctly and will produce erratic tension. Tighten the tension on the turbo winder to give you tightly-wound bobbins.

8. Be sure the bobbin check spring is in place inside the case, and that the little "fingers" are applying some pressure to the bobbin. One way to check is to put the bobbin into the case, and then touch the bobbin itself, trying to press it farther into the case. You should see some slight "bounce" in the bobbin, since those fingers will be applying pressure to the bobbin. If the bobbin lays in the case like a dead duck, then you can remove that little spring from the case and gently pry those two fingers back up so that they do apply pressure to the bobbin. Re-insert the spring with those two fingers facing up toward the bobbin, not the case itself.

9. Make sure that the bobbin is spinning clockwise after you've inserted it into the case. Pull on the tail and make sure it revolves clockwise.

Hope one of these solutions fixes your problem. Hold off on naming the Millie Frankenstein just yet;)!

Dawn

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Jim,

I had tension problems too, with my Millennium, untill I found out a couple of things:

1) I was working manual, and found out I was moving the machine too fast. Thread breakage and tension problems were the result. I don't know why I was moving too fast: probably because of the speed/stitches per inch on my regulator. I had the wrong idea of increasing the speed/stitches per inch, that I had to move the machine faster too. After I worked automatic - with the stitch regulator - moving fast or slow did not matter anymore, and my problem with thread breakage was yesterday.

2) I was having the quilt too tight - after moving the quilt forward, for a second part of quilting, the quilt is very tight, and I roll the backing bar and top bar a bit back, so it loosens a bit. This helped too.

Sometimes it seems nothing works, but I have quilted again, with good results!

Keep up the good stitching!

Sylvia Kaptein

Sylka-Mode

www.sylkamode.com

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Oh my this is like being my world of "welcome to the wonderful world of long arm quilting" all over again. I so feel your pain and frustration. I am still fighting tension also, but not all the time, just some of the time, I have been told to slow down, speed up, change tension top, change tension bottom, tighten bolts, relevel machine, and on and on. I have finally come to the conclusion that it is just practice not only in stitching but in adjusting things until it all comes together. Oh and lots of prayer. I am still waiting for it all to be perfect, but I really do feel that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and I am almost to the sweet spot on the machine.

My machine has been "beasty" ever since I stitched the first row, now she is about to get a new name, Maggie after my great grandmother who was the only quilter in my family. Just don't give up and when days are really bad, walk away for awhile. and always know most of here have been there or are still there so you are not alone.:D

Blessings on the rest of your day.

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MANY MANY THANKS to all who have offered ideas and encouragement, Especially Dawn. I took the quilt off and finished it on my Babylock Ellageo. After printing out and reading all of the tips and ideas I put a new sandwich on the Millie. I put in Superior Rainbow 40 wt #803 (came with the machine), for the top thread and the poly v-15 prewound bobbin that also came with the machine. I cleaned the hook area, took the bobbin case apart and cleaned it. There was a tiny bit of fuzz under the spring. I re-threaded the machine from the spool to the needle. I included a test piece for tryout past the end of the quilt. It sewed well but there were eyelashes. I tightened the top thread tension several times until it would not go any tighter and the threaded shaft began to turn, then I loosened the bobbin tension 1/4 turn and it was just right. We quilted the little quilt in a very short time. I hope I can learn how to adjust the tensions for other threads as well. Again, THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU ALL.

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